Inequality and (in)effective policies in Germany’s education system

This project analyzes social inequalities and educational policies in Germany's education system. The focus is on how institutional practices and political measures influence social inequalities in the education context and how, conversely, social inequalities can be addressed through educational policies.

One example is grade retention, which is used as a measure for performance differentiation and improvement. However, grade retention reinforces existing inequalities, does not sustainably improve the performance of repeaters or their classmates, and is associated with high costs.

A particular focus of the project is also on wealth inequality, which can play a central role in the production of educational inequality. The project aims to formulate evidence-based approaches that reduce educational inequality while also contributing to a more effective education system.